Sir Hendrix

Here it is. My very first post. Just in time for my birthday. It's my 30th today, and since this is kind of a milestone - the first big one, where you actually realize you're getting old and ask yourself where the time went - I thought I would do something I've wanted to do for a long time now, basically giving myself a gift, and launch my own blog. I haven't always wanted to write a blog, but I have always loved reading and writing, and it has been my dream since I was a teenager, to one day be a published writer. I don't care whether it would be in the form of an article, a children's book or a novel. I've been working on various projects since I was about 16 but have never actually finished anything, other than a children's book, and I have never dared send anything away to a publisher. Probably because this is one of my biggest dreams, and I'm scared of rejection. It's a fear I have to overcome if I seriously want to pursue a writing career, which would be the perfect job choice for a life on the road since you can write anywhere. Writing this blog is a huge deal for me because it's a first. I'm finally ready to share something with the public and it is kind of scary. You get thoughts like 'What if people find this utterly ridiculous or boring?' or 'I might just not be good or fluent enough to make my writing public on social media, yet.'

But then I remind myself, I'm mostly doing this for me because I love doing it and it's my definition of fun. And If nobody ever gets to read this or if people don't like it, that's ok too. I'm doing it to get over whatever it is that's holding me back. A first step to putting myself out there. It's also giving my brain something to do and think about other than poopy diapers and spit up. I can publish whatever I want and I'm in control of everything, but mostly I'm doing this to practice my writing. I have neglected my passion quite a bit since I've had my children. It's hard for me to find the time and it's even harder for me to write in English, since it's not my mother tongue. I learned English in school back in Germany but have never really spoken it much. I've really started learning and speaking the language when I arrived in Australia in 2007. I know I still have a lot to learn, especially when it comes to grammar. Everything I've written since my teenage years, was written in German. But since I live in Canada now and English has kind of become my first language, I am determined to write in English. So, here goes.

I've thought long and hard about how to start this blog and about the first topic I wanted to write about, and I think I've found the perfect one. Our new bus! The very beginning of our traveling life. The house on wheels, that is hopefully going to take us to all the wonderful places we'd like to see. Our second home. Maybe one day even the only home we'll have. Sir Hendrix is a 75 GMC Blue Bird. Yes, you heard right. We gave him a name. We like to give our travel-vehicles names. We like to give them strong, positive names in hopes of spreading good Juju, so they won't break down on us. When you're traveling you're usually on a very tight budget, and it really stinks when your vehicle breaks down, and you have to spend your precious travel-money on repairs. We called our Toyota Corolla in Australia Elmo, after the little red furball from Sesame Street because who's got a more positive attitude than Elmo? Our Van in New Zealand was called Berta Rose, after Berta from 'Two and a Half Men' and Roseanne from, well... 'Roseanne'. Berta and Roseanne are two very strong women individually, but put those two together and BAM! You've got something pretty much indestructible. Stupid? Well, it has worked for us so far and it's fun. I also think if Sir Hendrix could speak, he would do so with a Mexican accent. Don't ask me why. Anyway, he was named after the amazing and very talented Jimi Hendrix. Why? Because he's awesome and old school, just like our bus. And here is the first picture of our beautiful, strong boy because I just know the suspense is killing you guys.

Isn't he handsome? No? Well, come on guys. I realize he's a bit rough around the edges, but there's a good reason for that. This baby has been dumped on somebody's property and was left without care or affection since 2006. And yes, whoever chose to paint this guy an ugly army green and did a horrible paint job at that, was obviously a man. I don't want to offend anyone, but when I first saw him I immediately thought soldier or hunter. Turns out the guy who owned the bus and had been living in it for five years, was actually quite spiritual. Hence, the word wellness on the front. He was very much into yoga and even did a month-long silent retreat somewhere, which is impressive. I couldn't imagine not saying anything for a whole 4 weeks but then again, I like to talk. Anyway, it's pretty cool that Sir Hendrix used to belong to somebody like that, if you believe in good energy and karma and such things. I'm thinking he probably chose the color green because of his connection with nature? Either way, it's gotta go. We're probably going to have it sandblasted and paint it with something a little more suited for a family of adventurers.

Our neighbor, who knew we were looking for a bus, had heard about a lady wanting to get rid of one and immediately thought of us. We wanted to know how much she wanted for it, and he said it was free. Free sounded like a good price to us, so we went to look at it right away. I'll tell you the truth, I wasn't too excited when I first laid eyes on him. But the longer I looked, the more I could see the potential. I know that Adrian can turn anything into something beautiful, so I have no doubt that he can turn this bus into the most amazing camper out there. And do you see that roof rack? I'm planning on having a LOT of sun tanning sessions up there.

However, we did have a couple of concerns. Our biggest worry was whether or not we would ever get him back on the road again. We both nodded at each other, saying the engine still looked good when we opened the hood, but lets face it. Adrian is not a mechanic and I simply like to pretend I know what I'm talking about but have no clue whatsoever. We were also concerned about the condition of the body itself. I mean, it has been standing in the weather - unprotected - for 8 Years now and did look a little bit rusty. But is it just surface rust or is Sir Hendrix a lost cause? Then, there was the matter of getting it out of there and onto our own property without paying a stupid amount of money. The first quote we got was going to be 700 - 1000$ just to have it towed home, and all of a sudden the word free didn't really seem all that exciting anymore. They told us it was that expensive because it wasn't running on it's own, so they would have to pull it onto the float and then drive it all the way home. It was also going to be tricky because the spot the bus is currently standing on, is a bit awkward to get to since there is not a whole lot of space for a big tow truck to maneuver. For some reason it has been extremely difficult to find somebody who is willing to take the plunge and get it out for us, because of its position and the weather and the general work ethic up here simply seems a little more laid back, especially since it's hunting season. Easy, we thought. Let's just get this beast running and drive it home. Would be a lot cheaper than getting it towed. So Adrian went over there a few times, put a new battery in, cleaned all the spark plugs, put some gas in the tank, and he did get him running. Problem is, the breaks aren't working on one side and even if they were, we wouldn't really feel comfortable driving it home for 60 clicks, without having a mechanic look at it. So, we're currently still in the process of trying to find a cheap and safe way of getting him moved. Once he's standing on our own property, we can slowly work away at him. We know it's going to be a project, but as you well know by having seen our cottage, we love projects, and I can't wait for the day we're finally going to be able to take Sir. Hendrix for a spin. It's going to be awesome.

We are aware that there is the possibility that it'll simply be too expensive to fix him up enough to be driven across the world. We'll just have to see whether or not it would be worth it to put a whole lot of money into it just to get him running again, versus just saving up some more money to buy a newer, already working bus. But if that's the case we're simply going to turn him into a bunky and make a space for guests to stay at. As you know, we do live in 720 square feet and do currently have a guest room. But soon enough our daughter Mia will have to have a nursery, so we can move her out of our bedroom and it seems like a cool idea to have a more private spot for guests. My family and friends are all living in Germany so we do get visitors on a fairly regular basis and they tend to stay a few weeks at a time. I know they'd love to sleep in and not be woken up by screaming children at 6 am since they do come over here on vacation. And how cool would this bus look with a bit of fresh paint and a wrap around deck? Either or, a free bus is not too shabby and we're going to turn him into something amazing! To wrap this first post up the right way, I'll show you  couple of pictures of Sir Hendrix's rear end. 

He knows he let himself go a little bit over the years and he does apologize for his currently rather sad excuse of a behind; However, he promised to get back in shape and post pictures of his transformation on a regular basis. I will keep you guys informed on any progress we're making towards getting Sir Hendrix home and will end this first post by saying, I've got a feeling this next decade is going to be so much better than the last. I mean 30 is still young, right? I've still got at least 50 more years ahead of me and I'm determined to make each one count. So follow me and my family and accompany us on this crazy, unpredictable and exciting roller-coaster ride called life.